PFN Offers Wild Solution to Giants' Daniel Jones "Dilemma"

The solution likely won't happen, but hey, it's creative, at least!

Daniel Jones | Ian Maule/GettyImages / Ian Maule/GettyImages

Thanks to his $47.105 million cap hit, the New York Giants are stuck with quarterback Daniel Jones, for better or worse in 2024.

That is unless they were to engineer a trade in which the Giants, according to Over the Cap, would get $13.79 million in savings on the transaction while having to eat $33.315 million of dead money.

To be clear, this scenario is unlikely to happen for many reasons. Still, for kicks and giggles, Pro Football Network's Lorenzo Reyna, in his mock draft, makes this pitch, creating a scenario in which the Giants not only get a No. 1 receiver (LSU's Malik Nabers, who is mocked to the Giants at No. 6) but also come out of the draft with a replacement for Jones in Michigan's J.J. McCarthy.

Yup, really.

The proposed trade has the Denver Broncos sending the Giants Pick No. 12 in exchange for Jones, Pick No. 47, and a 2025 fourth-round pick.

It's a dream scenario, right, Giants fans? Jones goes to Denver to be groomed not only by Broncos head coach Sean Payton but also to be reunited with Davis Webb, now the Broncos quarterbacks coach. Webb spent the 2022 season with Jones as the offense learned Giants head coach Brian Daboll's system. The Giants, meanwhile, turn to Drew Lock to start the season while McCarthy gets acclimated to life in the NFL.

There are many reasons why this trade won't happen in real life, including whether McCarthy would even last until No. 12. However, that's something no one knows for sure, so let's stick with what we do know.

A big question to consider is why the Broncos, who do need a quarterback, would want to take on a guy who is coming off an ACL injury and has suffered two neck injuries in the last three years.

It doesn't make sense, even with the proposed draft haul Denver would receive in this instance. Although Jones is ahead of schedule in his rehab, according to general manager Joe Schoen, there are still no guarantees he's ready to start in Week 1, something that Daboll noted when he spoke with NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero prior to the league meetings this week.

And even if McCarthy were to fall to No. 12--based on numerous draft boards, this seems increasingly like a long shot--wouldn't it make sense for the Broncos to get a young guy they can groom to their liking with a cleaner injury history?

Reyna addresses the injury issue in his article, noting how Payton traded for quarterback Drew Brees when he was head coach of the New Orleans Saints. But Brees's injury history didn't include any neck issues.

The bottom line is that the Giants seem willing to run it back, at least for the coming year, with Jones, who will allow them to get a young quarterback (if drafted) up to speed. If Jones isn't ready, then Drew Lock will fill in.

The Broncos? If they're like every other team on the planet that doesn't have its franchise quarterback in place, it's probably going to want to start from scratch with a young guy who lands on a rookie deal rather than take on another veteran contract that right now doesn't look like the smartest investment.

(Photo credit: Ian Maule/GettyImages)

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